No. 31-09/10
MINUTE OF PROCEEDINGS
MONDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2010
The Assembly met at NOON, the Speaker in the Chair
1. Personal Prayer or Meditation
Members observed two minutes’ silence.
2. Speaker’s Business
2.1 The Speaker advised Members that he had received a letter from the Acting First Minister and deputy First Minister to advise that they were unavailable to answer questions during Question Time on Monday 1 February, and that at its next meeting on Tuesday 2 February the Business Committee would reschedule Question Time to the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister for the next week.
2.2 The Speaker advised that he had received a letter from Mr Thomas Buchanan resigning as Deputy Chair for the Committee for Employment and Learning, with immediate effect.
3. Executive Committee Business
3.1 The Work and Families (Increase of Maximum Amount) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2009
Proposed: That the Work and Families (Increase of Maximum Amount) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2009 be approved.
[Minister for Employment and Learning]
Debate ensued.
The question being put, the Motion was carried without division.
4. Committee Business
4.1 Motion - Statutory Committee Membership
Proposed: That Mr Thomas Buchanan be appointed as a member of the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety; that Mr Jonathan Bell be appointed as a member of the Committee for Employment and Learning; and that Mr Jonathan Bell replace Mr Adrian McQuillan as a member of the Committee for the Environment.
[Lord Morrow]
[Mr P Weir]
The Question being put, the Motion was carried without division.
5. Private Members’ Business
5.1 Motion - Education Bill
Proposed: That this Assembly notes with grave concern the failure by the Minister of Education to secure consensus on the Education Bill; further notes the unacceptable nature of the Minister’s interim governance and management arrangements; believes that these interim arrangements undermine the authority of this Assembly; and calls on the Minister of Education to urgently seek a resolution that is acceptable to all parties in the Executive.
[Mr B McCrea]
[Mr J McCallister]
5.2 Amendment No. 1
Proposed: leave out all after the first ‘Minister of Education’ and insert:
‘and the Executive to secure consensus on the Education Bill; further notes the unacceptable nature of the Minister’s interim governance and management arrangements; and calls on the Minister of Education and the Executive to agree urgently an acceptable resolution to allow the Bill to proceed.’
[Mr T Lunn]
[Dr S Farry]
[Ms A Lo]
5.3 Amendment No. 2
Proposed: leave out all from ‘believes’ to ‘Assembly;’
[Mr D Bradley]
[Mrs M Bradley]
The Deputy Speaker (Mr Dallat) took the Chair.
Debate ensued.
Amendment No. 1 being put, the Amendment fell without division.
Amendment No. 2 being put, the Amendment fell without division.
The Question being put, the Motion was carried (Division 1).
5.4 Motion - Government Efficiency
Proposed: That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Finance and Personnel to instruct the Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit to assist the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety by investigating potential non-frontline savings within the DHSSPS remit and producing initial recommendations within three months.
[Mr S Hamilton]
[Mr P Weir]
The Deputy Speaker ( Mr Molloy) took the Chair.
Debate ensued.
The debate was suspended for Question Time.
6. Question Time
6.1 Minister of the Environment
Questions were put to, and answered by, the Minister of the Environment, Mr Edwin Poots.
7. Private Members’ Business (Cont’d)
7.1 Motion - Government Efficiency (Cont’d)
Debate resumed on the motion.
The Question being put, the Motion was negatived without division.
8. Adjournment
Proposed: That the Assembly do now adjourn.
[The Speaker]
The Assembly adjourned at 3.49 pm.
Mr William Hay
The Speaker
01 February 2010
NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY
01 FEBRUARY 2010
DIVISIONS
Division No. 1
Education Bill - Motion
Proposed: That this Assembly notes with grave concern the failure by the Minister of Education to secure consensus on the Education Bill; further notes the unacceptable nature of the Minister’s interim governance and management arrangements; believes that these interim arrangements undermine the authority of this Assembly; and calls on the Minister of Education to urgently seek a resolution that is acceptable to all parties in the Executive.
[Mr B McCrea]
[Mr J McCallister]
The Question was put and the Assembly divided.
Ayes: 58
Noes: 24
Ayes
Mr Armstrong, Mr Beggs, Mr Bell, Mr D Bradley, Mrs M Bradley, Mr P J Bradley, Mr Bresland, Lord Browne, Mr Buchanan, Mr Burns, Mr Campbell, Mr T Clarke, Mr Cobain, Mr Craig, Mr Cree, Mr Dodds, Rt Hon J Donaldson, Mr Durkan, Mr Easton, Mr Elliott, Mrs Foster, Mr Gallagher, Mr Gardiner, Mr Hamilton, Mr Hilditch, Mr Irwin, Mrs D Kelly, Mr Kennedy, Mr Kinahan, Mr A Maginness, Mr McCallister, Mr McCausland, Mr McClarty, Mr I McCrea, Dr W McCrea, Mr McDevitt, Dr McDonnell, Mr McFarland, Mr McGlone, Mr McNarry, Mr McQuillan, Lord Morrow, Mr Moutray, Mr Newton, Mr Paisley Jnr, Mr Poots, Mr P Ramsey, Mr G Robinson, Mr K Robinson, Rt Hon P Robinson, Mr Ross, Mr Savage, Mr Shannon, Mr Simpson, Mr Spratt, Mr Storey, Mr Weir, Mr S Wilson.
Tellers for the Ayes: Mr McCallister and Mr K Robinson.
Noes
Mr Adams, Ms Anderson, Mr Boylan, Mr Brady, Mr Butler, Mr W Clarke, Mr Doherty, Ms Gildernew, Mr G Kelly, Mr A Maskey, Mr P Maskey, Mr McCartney, Mr McElduff, Mrs McGill, Mr M McGuinness, Mr McHugh, Mr McKay, Mr McLaughlin, Mr Molloy, Mr Murphy, Ms Ní Chuilín, Mr O’Dowd, Ms S Ramsey, Ms Ruane.
Tellers for the Noes: Mr P Maskey and Ms S Ramsey.
The motion was carried.
NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY
PAPERS PRESENTED TO THE ASSEMBLY FROM
27 January – 01 February 2010
1. Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Diseases of Animals Act ( Northern Ireland) 2010
Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act ( Northern Ireland) 2010
2. Bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly
3. Orders in Council
4. Publications Laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Amendment) Scheme ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DFP)
SSA Annual Report on Decision Making and Case Accuracy 1 January to 31 December 2008 (DSD)
5. Assembly Reports
Ninth Report of the Examiner of Statutory Rules (NIA 37/09/10R)
6. Statutory Rules
(The Department identified after each rule is for reference purposes only)
S.R. 2010/11 Land Registry (Fees) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DFP)
S.R. 2010/17 The Rates (Exemption for Automatic Telling Machines in Rural Areas) Order ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DFP)
S.R. 2010/18 The Rates (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DFP)
S.R. 2010/19 School Admissions (Exceptional Circumstances) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DE)
For Information Only:
7. Written Ministerial Statements
8. Consultation Documents
Consultation on the Zoonoses and Animal By-Products (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2010 (DARD)
Consultative Document: Proposals for Removing the "Docks Form" from the Docks Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 1989 (DETI)
Consultation Document: Northern Ireland Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery 2010-2015 (DHSSPS)
Consultation on Proposals for Implementing the 3rd EC Directive on Driving Licenses (DOE)
9. Departmental Publications
Accessible Transport Strategy Action Plan 2009-2012 (DRD)